Projectile.



' Patented Dot. 22, I90L A. PRIMAT. PBOJECTILE.

(Application flled Sept. 18, 1900.)

4 Shaets-Shaet 4.

(No Modal.)

m m l l. W

NITED STATES iATENT F PROJECTILE.

SPECIFICAJION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,949, dated October 22, 1901.

' Application filad September 18, 1900. Serlal No. 30,376. (No modal.)

which it presents the following advax1tages:

First. The projectile can be aimed and fired like an ordinary shell.

Second. It may have a range of from five thousand t0 six thousand yards, according to the caliberof the gnn in which it is employed.

Third. It may be carried without risk on board ship, as it is only primed at the moment of fixing and the fuse comes into action only at the moment of impact.

Fourth. It does not need an y special Weapon or appliance for firing it, inasmuch as it can be fired from any modem piece ofordnance in the same way as an ordinary shell.

Fifth. It is not liable to bcome inefective,

and dos not con tain any interna] mechanism besides that for 'exploding the projectile.

Sixth. It-can be manufactured at a very small cost.

My invention is illnstrated in the accompaq nying drtwings, wherein Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the projectile; and Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same on line A B, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal sections et modifier] arrange- 5 monts.

The same characters of reference denote like parts in the several figures.

My improved projectile comprises an external cylindrogival shell or case a, provided 40 near its base end, like an ordinary shell, With a copper ring b for fitting in the rifiing of.the -barrel of the gnn for the purpose of rotating the projectile. The base of the projectile is closed by a screw-plug c, and the pointed end of the projectile is provided with a soft-metal nose or plng (2 to prevent the projectile from penetrating the armor-plating of a ship or rebonndingafterstriking. Thissoft-meta1nose may, however, be replaced' by a hard-metal plugif the projectile is to be used for pierc' ing armor-plates, to which end the plug ma .y be so fitted as to be readily removable..

\Vithin the hollow shell or case a is inserted a container 6 for a charge of high explosive, adapted to constitnte the bursting charge of a projectile fired from a gnn. This container (3 may be closed by a Screw-plug f or other wise and is snpported w.hcn at rest upon a leaden ring g andby means of zinc tenons h, and it may also be guidcd bymeans of longitudinal ribs i, formed upon the interior of the shell (1,, as shown in Fig. 2.

The action of the projectile is, when fired against a vessel, as follows: VVhen the gun is fired, thelead ring 9 becomes crushed beneath the container e, owingto the latter remaining v momentarily inert, while at the same time the2inc tenons h are shorn through and the conicalstud 7' is caused to engage with the swing-clips k, thus priming the projectile. On the nose of the projectile strikin g the vessel the motion of the outershell a is arrcsted and the projectile drops into the watcr close to the hall, the container e at the moment of such arrest continuing its forward movement by reason of its acgnired momentum, thus causing (owing to the engagement of springclip k with stnd j) a pull to be exerted upon the roughened end m of wire I. of fnlminate 92 is thus exploded and ignites the Bickford fuse 0, which in turn ignites the charge of compressed black powder p, which finally detonates the charge of high explosive contained in cbamber 6. The time which elapses between the impact and bnrsting of the projectile thus depends praCtically upon the length of the Bickford fuse, and as it is easy to estimate beforehand the depth below water at which the projectile should bnrst the length of the fu'se-cord can be regulated accordingly. Should the external en velop a of the projectile become fractnred by the force of impact,the internal container e wonld romain intact and the charge of explosive would act eqnally well, owing to the container e being closed to the outrance of water.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the container e is maintained in position in the projectile by abutting at its forward end against the interior walls of the envelop 0. and by being supported at its.base upon a lead ring 9. The fuse comprises a casing or body 1, in the interior et which is fitted a central stem a,

provided with a mushroom-he'ad, which sup,-

The charge washer or socket se.

ports 3. barre] s, upon whieh is coiled a. Bickford fuse 0, in communication with a. charge 19 for igDiting the.explosive charge in the interi0r of the projectile. The interior et the mushroom-headed stem is channeled to receiv a qnick-matchi for ,igniting a. disk of powder u, which in turn serves t0 ignite the Bicktord fuse. Tlxe quick-match is provided with a friction device m attached 130 a stem Z, which extends rearwardly and is attached to a bnrbed head U, whichwhen the lead ring g is crnshed is reeeived in and held by alead At the moment et impact the container e is carried forward, drawing with it the body of the quick-match, which becoming thus ignited sets fire to the Bickford fuse, which ignites the charge 29 and detonates or otherwise tires the explosiv contained in the projectile.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4: the fuse is placed at the front end of container 6. The action of the f use in this case is as follows: On firing the projectile the socket y, disposed longitudinally within the fuse, retains its position by renson of its inertie, as does also the springclip z,'fixed in sn.id socket, so that the fingers of the clip 2, being 'therebypressed inwardly, engagea striker 1, snitably disposed for thepnrpose, the fuse being thns primed. At the moment of impact, on the motion of the outer shll a et the projectilebeing arrested, the soc ket y and striker lcontinue (heir forward movement by virtueof tbeir acquired momentnm, the lead ring-g becomes crnshed. and the striker, being released,moves forward and explodes the charge of fulminate 2, thns igniting the Bickford fuse o, wl1ieh in turn deter mines the explosion of the charge con'tained in the projectile.

It is to be understood that the forme, details, accessories, materials, and dimensions of the several parts of the projectilemay be varied' withont in any way departing from v the principle of the invention.

I claim 1. In a projectile, the combination of an exte'rior shell or envelop, a movable powderchamber, a frangible means for maintaining the powder-chamber in position, 3. primer contained within said ehamber and means for firing the said primer upon impact of the projectile.

2. In a projectile, the combination with an exterior shell or envelop of a movable powderehamber containd chemin, a primer therefor contained within snid chamber and con taining a firing means, means for setting the primer for operation at the time of discharge of the projectile and for efiecting the firing of the primer by the movement of the movable primer-chaflnber upon impact of the projectile. v

The foregoing specification of my new or improved projectile signed by me this 1st day of Septemher, 1900.

. ALEXANDRE PRIMAT.

VVitnesses:

Enwnnn P. MACLEAN, MAURICE II. PIGNET. 

